Special shout-out to E-Lit from Amoeba Berkeley who, despite being under the weather with a nasty cold, took time to do the above video of the detailed run-down of what's new in hip-hop at Amoeba and supplying the latest top five chart. Topping the chart (no surprise) is the hotly anticipated new A$AP Rocky official debut release following the hella hyped Harlem rapper's mixtape. Note that A$AP's major label outing, care of RCA, comes in regular CD version of Long.Live. A$AP plus DeLuxe CD version, as well as the vinyl LP version. Other new chart entries include the brand new self-titled release from power trio Mixed Blood Majority that is made up of Crescent Moon of Kill The Vultures, Joe Horton of No Bird Sing, and Doomtree producer Lazerbeak.
Other new releases (non chart entries) mentioned by E-Lit include MF Grimm's Good Morning Vietnam
and The Dag Savage EP - both vinyl releases. Be sure to check out E-Lit's two KALX shows this weekend when he will be playing some of the aforementioned new releases. On Friday, Jan 25th, he will be doing a best of 2012 show on the UC Berkeley station from 9am to noon and then on Sunday night (Jan 27th) at midnight for the one-hour Yo! KALX Raps show he will be playing the best of 2013 so far. Tune into KALX on the radio dial if you are in the Bay Area on 90.7FM or online atkalx.berkeley.edu

Concerts and events in the Bay Area this weekend include KRS-One at Yoshi's San Francisco on Friday, Jan 25th at 10:30pm and the following night (Sat Jan 26th) at the same venue Frederick Yonnet with Talib Kweli. Tickets and more details on both shows here. On Friday Blackalicous headline at the New Parish in Oakland. More info. Also on Friday (1/25) is Let's Side Winter 2013 Release Party @ 69RPM Happy Hour for the Bay Area quarterly fanzine that covers rap, metal, and punk. If you go to the event you will get a free copy of this new second issue of the old-school style fanzine: that is put together by hard working, talented hip-hop artist Mega Kut and comes complete with ole skool, Xerox and stapled fanzine values. Contributors include this Amoeblogger. The event is free and features DJ Stef and DJ Joe Bank$ spinning between 6pm and 9pm atThe Knockoutat 223 Mission St., San Francisco, California 94110. Below are a few cool music videos including one from the new Amoeba chart entry from Moe Pope & Rain'sLet The Right Ones In on Brick Records, Hiero member DJ Touré, acid trip inflected video from Mod Sun, and Skyzoo featuring Talib Kweli.

DJ Touré "She Likes It (feat. B-Legit, D-Lo, & London)" (2012)

2013 will be the year of the Hieroglyphics crew. Not only will the Oakland based hip-hop collective throw a follow up to their phenomenally successful debut Hiero Day and will it be the 20th anniversary of Hiero members the Souls Of Mischief's landmark album 93 Til Infinity with that Shomari Smith directed documentary on the album being released but, like last year, the numerous individual members of the Hieros will be unleashing a grip of albums.

These will include the February 19th release by DJ Touré,Touré's Theory dropping via 101% Music/Hiero Imperium, that includes cameos from fellow Hiero members as well as V-Town/The Click legends E-40 and B-Legit who appears on the single/video for "She Likes It" that also features rapper D-Lo and singer London. The track and the video for the song have actually been out for a minute but the remix of the single is just now surfacing and the anticipated album is finally dropping in a few weeks. Check back here for a more detailed story on DJ Touré at that time.

Moe Pope and Rain "Gotham (feat. Julia Easterlin)" (2013)

Above is the video for "Gotham" from the new chart entry by Moe Pope & Rain, Let The Right Ones In on Brick Records, that features Julia Easterlin. Other album appearances include REKS, Blacastan, and John Robinson. If you like this collaboration be sure to also Moe Pope.

Skyzoo “Spike Lee Was My Hero (feat. Talib Kweli)" (2013)

You gotta love the heartfelt homage to Spike Lee by Skyzoo, with guest/BK proud resident Talib Kweli, with his new song “Spike Lee Was My Hero” and the cool new music video above that also features an appearance by Spike Lee himself. The track can be found on Skyzoo’s album A Dream Deferred that dropped on Duck Down Records back in October.

Mod Sun “My Hippy” (2013)

Above is the brand new psychedelic trip type video from Mod Sun, "My Hippy,” which is the first single off the Bloomington, Minnesota native's upcoming project and somewhat picks up where early Berkeley psychedelic crew Mod Squad, who were signed to Priority Records for a while, left off two decades ago. Mod Sun will be co-headlining the 2013 Road Trippin' tour with good friend Cisco Adler starting on February 1st.